Refrigerating apparatus.



No. 828,530. PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

. w. BROTHERS.

REPRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21,1901.

'. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.-.-

REFRIIGERATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

- Application filed September 21,1901- Serial No. 76.117.

} Tb all whom it m concern:

V British subject,

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BRo'rnERs, a and a resident of Prestwich,

in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention 1s designed to produce a sim le, efiective, and rehable apparatus for ma ice, either in small or large quantities, by the evaporation of ammoniargas from its an aqueous solution of ammonia without the .use of pressure above the atmospheric pressure.

The invention consists in the production or formation purposes without pressure or the production of anhydrous or liquefied ammonia and in apparatus constructed two chambers conceeding sels A an heatis alternately driven off jacket a, surrounding The ammoma under the influence of from the vessel A through the pipe 0 and absorbed in the vessel B and on' the removal of the heat is drawn back from the vessel B and reabsorbed in the vessel A, the process of evaporation taking place in the vessel B reducing the tem perature to the desired degree. The ammonia. vessel A 1s constructed with an inner chamber a and an outer chamber or the inner one. The inner one, a, is filledup to about the line 2 zwith a saturated solution of ammonia, and the outer one, 0/, forms a water-'acket through which cold water can be circu ated when it is desired to cool the solution. The second ammonia or refrigerating vessel B is constructed with three chambers-an inner one b, an outer chamber or jacket I), and an ice-chamber-b. The inner chamber 1) is filled to about the line The chamber b forms a water-'acket through which cold water can be circ ated when 1t is desired to revent .the rise of tem erature in the inner c amber andthe thir chamber 11 forms a receptaof intense cold for refrigeratinginto ice or cooled.

The vessels A and B maybe of spherical or cylindrical form and made of copper or other suitable material.

. The inner chamber a of the vessel A is connected with the inner chamber b of the vessel B by two pipes C and D, through which ammonia-gas can pass or be forced from one chamber to the other when the ap aratus' is in operation. The ammonia-gas ows from the chamber a to the chamber I) through the pi e O, which is provided with a non-return va ve c, andfrom the. chamber 1) back to the chamber a, through the pipe D, which is also provided with a non-return valve d. The pipe C is connected to the top of the chamber a, and is carried down nearly to the bottom of the chamber 1) to deliver the gas at the bottom of the liquid in the vessel, and in a similar manner the pipe D connects with thetop of the chamber (1 and extends down nearly to the bottom of the chamber a, to deliver the gas below the liquid.

Above the ammonia vessel A is placed a which the ammonia-gas passes on its way to freeing the gas from any steam or aqueous vaporthat may evaporate with it,

The water chambers or jackets a and b are connected with awater-supply pipe F, from which cold water can be run or circulated through them. The pi e F is fitted with two taps ff to control the ow of water, and the two taps areconnected by a lever G or otherwise, so that one only can be open at a time. The water-jacket a is provided with a wastewater pipe H and the jacket I) with a waste- Water or drain pipe H. The dehydrator E through which cold water can circulate. This may be connected .with the water-supply pipe; but in-order to economize water and simplify the apparatus it is preferably connected by the i e e withthe jacket I), so that the water circu atesfirst through the jacket b and then through the jacket e, escaping through the waste-water pipe e? The drainpipe H is fitted with a taph, also connected to and operated by the lever G.

Below the ammonia vessel A is fitted a asburner .K, by which it can be heated. gas-burner is su plied with gas from a assupply' pipe K, tted with a tap 7c and a ycle'for water (or other material) to be frozen the refrigerating vessel B for the purpose of is also provided with a water-jacket 0,.

dehydrator E of any suitable form, through pass 7c. The tap k is attached to and operated by the lever G.

The gas-supply pipe K is provided with a regulating or controlling apparatus bywhich the supply of gas to the burner K is cut ofi when the vacuum in the ice-chamber B has become solow as to indicate it is fully saturated or nearly saturated with the ammoniagas driven off from the ammonia vessel A.

The gas-regulating apparatus M is formed with a U-tube m, filled with mercury, a gaspassage m, a by-pass m and a column of mercury in pipe m connected to connectingpipe 0 or otherwise where it will be affected by any vacuum in the apparatus; As the vacuum disappears the mercury rises up the U-tube m and closes the passage m, shutting off the supply of gas to the burner K except through the by-pass m so that the inner vessels a and b are always kept under apartial vacuum.

In the arrangement shown in the drawing the ice or refrigerating chamber b is placed externally to the chamber 1) and is moved therefrom for the purpose of removing the ice. It is raised and lowered by a'screw N.

- In carrying out the operation the gas-jet is lighted and heat applied to the ammonia vessel A, and at the same time cold water is circu lated around the ice vessel B in the jacket I) and also through the jacket 0 round the de hydrator E. The heat raises the temperature of the ammonia-solution in the-chamber a and drives off the ammonia-gas through the dehydrator E and pi e G into the chamber 6. The gas passes into t e water in the chamber 6 and is dissolved "or absorbed therein. This continues until most of the ammonia-gas is driven ofl' out of the ammonia solution in the ammonia vessel A and is absorbed in the Water in the'ice vessel B. When this hasoccurred, the liquor in the chamber a has fallen approximately from the level of the line 2 z to the level of the line y 'y and the level of the liquorin the chamber 1) has risen from the level of the line a: a: to that of the line w 'w. If the vacuum in the apparatus nearly disappears by the continuance of the application of the heat to the vessel A, the mercury rises in the tube m of the regulator M, cuts oif'the gassupply, and shuts ofl or diminishes the flame. The operation is then reversed. The heat is shut off from the ammonia-chamber A and the cold water from the ice vessel B, and cold water is circulated around the ammoniachamber A.

The reduction of temperature increases the vacuum in the chamber a and by reason of the water having a great affinity for ammonia causes the ammonia-gas to rapidly evaporate from the solution in the vessel b ofthe ice vessel B, pass into and be dissolved by the water in the vessel a, thereby producing the desired degliee of cold in the 11ice vessel B.

T e tapsff of t e water-su l i e F, the tap it of the water-drain pipd a in d the tap k of the gas-supply pipe K are all con nected to the lever G, so that thewater-supply tap f and the gas-tap k may be open together, while the other two f and it remain closed, and the Water-supply tap f and the drain-tap h may be opened only after the other two have been closed. By the movement of the handle G the operation can be reversed or stopped at any time.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

In refrigerating apparatus the combination with the ammonia vessel A, the second ammonia vessel B and means for circulating water around them, the gas-burner K, dehy-.

drator E, pipes Gand D for the ammonia, of an external chamber 6 in which the ice,.is formed, means for raising and lowering the ice-chamber b the water-supply pipes F for supplying water to the chambers, the watertaps, f f on the water-pipes, F, the gas-su ply pipe K, the gas-tap 7c on the pipe K, t e drain-pipe H and drain-tap h thereon and the lever G connected to the several taps to move the taps and reverse the operation of the apparatus simultaneously.

In witness whereof I have hereunto si ned my name in the presence of two subscri ing Witnesses.

WILLIAM BROTHERS.

Witnesses: I

J. OWDEN O'BRIEN, B. LATHAM WOODHEAD. 

